The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-14
ALL READY FOR ANY RIOT.

ALL READY FUN AMI hlUl.
WMAr THE POLICE REsERvU ~ AND
| H0W IT MOVES TO ACTION
n1esiiirias - Sirens Ferse ~ Five ni.utes'
| Netice-Ths System 81 Feiice Ceuanuaies-
ties and the Msssius 81 Mes st Any
Peint-Leng Hears and Lattie sleep.
In speaking Of the police precautions always
taken whom riots or mob violence OF any kind
are feared, tho newspapers say that tho "po-
| lice reserves" are held in the station houses,
| ready for action. The phrase has como to be
an extremely common one. yet probably few OF
those who hear II or road II have a clear idea
Of what II really means, or OF how superin-
tendent Murray disposss Of those reserves In
case Of q big row.
Genial Capt. McCullsgh Of the Fifth street
station. In whose precinct arc nearly all the
Anarchists. aud who, with his ninety mon, IL
about worn out with being up day and night
for the past week vigilantly Watching these
restless people. said yesterday, that there wore
two platoons OF police at every station and
each platoon was divided into two sections.
Tho sections Of police throughout the city
would perhaps average twenty mon each.
Tho hours OF duty Of the mon are 30 ar
ranged that in the day time one section Of one
platoon Is always In the station house. the
other section Of tho same platoon Ii on patrol,
and the second platoon is of duty: and In the
night time ono platoon II In the station house
and this other platoon is on patrol, tho day
beats being doubled. Nobody is of duty at
night Holding the reserves means that the
mon Of tho platoon which Is on of duty are
not allowed to 60 homo to their wives and
ready for business.
ThA ma aAotjo, ~ man nj fhA afakfon n ha
day time and the entire platoon at the station
at night constitute tho regular reserves.
When the extra reserves are held three Sec
lions arc thus available for an emergency.
The reserves are allowed to 90 homo to their
meals, but they naturally get but little Sleep
Only about i've per cont OF the policemen in
given precinct. live outside tho precinct, and
It comes rather hard on an officer when he is
According to this arrangement an ofacer gets
twelve hoprs OF every alternate day from A:
come the long hours that the officer spends at
court with HIS prisoner or as witness at tho
Six
seems rather hard to them to haye to spend
their day on in the station. Capt ,McCullaugh
for the viii sn st VIE Which his men have
done extra duty in tho Anarchist excitement.
been hold In readiness not alone At the F Firth
sSs the s,a IN p sh hf s FSs
seaen VIII Po Eo rs
having Certain number Of Stations on It's cir
cult. The first sub-system comprises those
s Ss Madison asa s
the ss the the hS
below those on Madison street and 1t Pier 80 50.
North River: the fourth Comprises the stations
rest
OF the stations uptown on the west side.
usss ah and ssg
to roly upon, each other In case Of riot. The
system OF tslesraphy used is the dial system.
to letters at the circumference. or Indicating
fixed messages BY pointing to figures at tho
for instance Of the fGsty pG!ss
n vss IN Gap
hs sa t. hGss ss
L 4 IL S sss5s IA .spS.
i liz Sergeant reaches his hand befor. him to
diaersHs parts q II. Souss. \ taxes about I. =
with night sticks in their hands and 80
ss tssr T hsad tho f0' win o'p'
IN the mean time the desk Sergeant is tsle-
Capt MotSiash would probably order the Scr:
the Anarchists are out In force and are throw
Sergeant has sounded the riot call ana twelve
big strokes are banging away on q gong In
Superintendent Murray's headquarters. Capt.
Cortright Of tho Carmansville station was on
He would have rushed down to SUPERINTENDENT
GrowleE's telegraph room In the basement Of
roe %as senns out hi ssn Se
other stations on Captain MeCuIlagh's circuit
the Madison EldridSe and PeIaace{ street
one Captain Cor.riGht might have ordered the
these stations to rapdly transport the men.
Anyway In five minutes from the time Captain
Ssnd s tho tel S6
policemen would be starting for the same
you'd seSdn s' sfSS St sst ess S p %sss
order the reserves from other stations out, too.
na %sd # al reud to to BE- in
ttendent Murray. to all the inspectors and Po-
lice Gommissioners. leave some one In com.
The reporter went over to Capt. McCullagh's
STATION mousse yesterday afternoon. In the Dig
sitting loom Of tho station about forty men
were gathered. some playing checkers and
dominoes,, some dosing in their chairs; some
rack In one corner hung numbsrless big night
sticks, dangling by the policemen's belts. The
mon all had their pistols in their pockets.
In the upper stories are eight rooms Of Diff
ferent sizes with cot beds in iron frames
ranged In opposite rows in each room. Few OF
the beds were occupied when tho reporter saw
them. as 1t was nearly 8 o'clock and time for
the men to turn out. But at the foot Of each
clothes, neatly arranged. with tho club on top.
The officer never let's his club or his pistol get
far away from him.
Cant. McCuilagh was at the desk whom the
reporter reentered the main room. He pressed
his call button and 1t seemed as II policemen
came into the room in clouds. from above, be-
hind and before. In q little over a minute tho
desk room was packed with officers.
That's the way we'd have 'em here for q
brush with tho Anarchists" said Capt. McCul-